Hi, I'm Siavash!

I share my stories to end interpersonal gender violence and to foster healthy masculinity.

My Story

I was a near victim of the mass shooting at UCSB in 2014. I transformed that traumatic experience into a mission to foster more compassionate communities, co-founding a multidisciplinary project called Boys ’n’ Guns: Masculinity in a Culture of Violence with the mission of ending interpersonal gendered violence. I facilitate workshops for high school and college students to address the ways in which societal pressures interact with mass shootings.

Where I've spoken

I’ve spoken to more than 30 groups, including high schools, fraternities, and research conferences. I love to share my story to open up conversations with young people on social issues they recognize in their communities. Those conversations are so healing and empowering. I also love to teach people my tactics that have been so helpful in ending sexual violence in fraternities.